Speculative poetry can immerse us in the brutality of experience or transport us away, to view horror through a gauzy lens that lets us process our most difficult emotions. I’m delighted with how dark poetry is being celebrated this month.

The Horror Writers Association is celebrating the U.S. National Poetry Month with 30 days of interviews with horror poets. And, submissions for HWA Poetry Showcase Volume X are open today through May 1.

Dwarf Stars Poetry Anthology nominations open today, too. The Dwarf Stars Award, from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, recognizes the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror poem of 1–10 lines published in the previous year. Nominations for the award and anthology submissions are open April 1-May 1, and anyone may submit their own poems or those of others.

Finally, happy first day of Camp NaNoWriMo to all my fellow participating writers and poets! Camp NaNoWriMo differs from NaNoWriMo in that you can set goals for writing or editing, and the word or time count can be anything you want. Spend the month writing poems, editing your poetry collection, or writing a poem or two in between your longer works.

Speculative poetry has always captured the most visceral and cutting aspects of humanity. There is great beauty in that darkness.